


History Repeats Itself

by KayDiggsWriting



Series: What Happens In France... [5]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Drama, F/M, Flashbacks, Hamgelica, Hamliza, Love Triangles, Parents, Past Relationship(s), Unresolved Emotional Tension, getting better at tagging, original broadway cast, what happens in france
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 06:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14074935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayDiggsWriting/pseuds/KayDiggsWriting
Summary: The aftermath of Alexander answering Angelica's phone...





	History Repeats Itself

**Author's Note:**

> Hamgelica is my life.  
> You should at least read the story part before this one to understand what is happening. As usual, forgive me for spelling and grammar errors.

_There was always a certain air of urgency surrounding Alexander when he was on the way to seeing Angelica. It didn't matter that he'd just seen her the day before, or sometimes just a few hours prior. It didn't matter that they didn't have any special plans set up. No dinner dates. No clubbing. Not even a planned sex session. It didn't matter that she was most likely going to be covered in a pair of ragged sweatpants and one of Alexander's old university t-shirts. It didn't even matter that she'd be too engrossed in one of her art project to pay any attention to him for at least an hour._

_All that mattered was that he was going to see Angelica._

_His blood would pump with anticipation as soon as the clock struck five and he was free to leave the building. His head would race with memories of the last time they were together to hold him off until he was standing outside of the door. His body would vibrate with excitement when he was in the back of the cab on the way to his house where he knew she was going to be waiting. Where she always seemed to be waiting for him. His lips would curve in happiness as soon as the car stopped and he was allowed to race up the steps. (The elevator always took too long.) His eyes would dart frantically around the empty front room. Knowing she wasn't going to be there but looking for her anyway. His entire frame would sing with relief when he walked into the bedroom and saw her standing there painting. All the furniture in the room moved to one side to make space for her supplies. Dressed down but still the most elegant woman he'd ever seen. His heart would hum with contentment when she was in his arms. Hugging him back. Kissing him fervently like she missed him just as much as he missed her._

_Angelica was a magnet. And in her presence, even out of her presence, Alexander was no more than a shiny piece of metal. Drawn to her in a way that could only be described as  magnetic. He had no control over it. Even if he did, he wouldn't choose for it to be another way. Which was why Alexander was practically sliding into the house after work everyday without a thought. Like it was second nature. Like he couldn't switch the pattern of his after work routine. The man wasn't even able to make stops along the way to his home without buzzing with agitation that he was prolonging his time away from his solace._

_He opened the door to his apartment, that had quickly become something like 'their' apartment after Angelica's second visit. She left enough stuff at his place to fill a boutique. He glanced around his small living room space and found it empty as he always did. He took the few steps to the bedroom and immediately noticed something was off._

_First, there was no music playing. Angelica hated working in silence when she was alone. Even if it was no more than a faint instrumental playing as background noise, she needed it._

_Second,the bedroom door was closed. He didn't quite know the significance to her usually leaving it open. All he knew was that it made it better for him. He could see the woman he'd been damn near aching to see all day without the burden of a wooden door blocking his view._

_He opened the door and froze in place. As he was expecting, as it was whenever he came home, the furniture was moved to one side of the room. Angelica's painting supplies taking over the empty spot. But the sight wasn't the one he'd become accustomed to. His beautiful girlfriend wasn't dancing around his room with her paintbrush in her hand. No, his lover was sitting on the edge of the pushed aside bed. Her elbows resting on her thighs and her head buried in her hands. Alexander didn't hear any cries or whimpers. But he did notice the trembling of Angelica's thin shoulders._

_"Baby?" His voice was borderline frightened. He exhaled and tried again. "Angel, are you alright?"_

_Her head didn't snap up to expose her face as he hoped it would. Instead she lifted one shoulder slowly. A shrug. Well, almost a shrug. And no no no that just wouldn't do. Alexander took another cautious step into the room. Trying to make as little noise as possible. As if the distressed woman on the bed would dart away like a baby deer if frightened. His second step was just as silent. The third step, in normal Alexander fashion, was a fail. There was a stray paintbrush lying on the floor that he didn't notice. His foot stepped on it. The paintbrush rolled. Alexander lost his balance. His ass hit the floor in a way that was equally painful and surprising._

_This time the woman's head did lift. She eyed the sight in front of her with lifted brows and a slackened jaw. Staring first with confusion and then shock. The realization of the situation had a mere second to grace her features before it was replaced with humor. Her mouth clamped shut to hold back a smile. But the laugh bubbled through her closed lips anyway. One of the hands that had previously been hiding her face covered her mouth without muting her musical giggles. The short fall was worth it. He'd break his ass a million times to see her smile past whatever she was stressing about when he walked in._

_"Y-You." Her cackling caused a stutter. "Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine." He winced for her benefit. Alexander had taken much harder falls. "I-It's just my ass."_

_"Oh my God." She used her hands to push up from the bed. Scrambling over to her boyfriend with her smile still in place. "Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine. I'm fine." He assured her. Accepting her outstretched hand to help himself up. When he was standing, when his body was an inch from hers, when he was looking down at her like he was trying to see through her, with his hand still in hers, he became serious. "Are **you**  okay?"_

_Angelica didn't try to pull away. She knew there was no use. The last traces of her smile disappeared. And whatever was plaguing her thoughts before came in resurfaced. Just because she didn't retreat physically, didn't mean she couldn't retreat emotionally. Her eyes cast downwards. Scrutinizing her boyfriend's chin to evade his all knowing eyes._

_"No."_

_At least she didn't lie._

_"What's wrong, Angel?"_

_"I can't paint." Her cheeks darkened. Chagrined. "I've been standing in front of that easel all day and nothing will come out. I even tried sketching." She gestured to the discarded papers that were thrown across the floor. The partially finished pieces circled at their feet mockingly. "Something is wrong with me."_

_"Nothing is wrong with you, Angelica. You just having the painter's equivalent to writer's block."_

_She didn't argue. She knew he was right. Her shoulders slumped anyway. "I hate it."_

_"I know you do. I hate it too."_

_She peeked up at him through her lashes. "Why do you hate it?"_

_"Because it's preventing my angel from smiling. Only my stupidity is supposed to do that."_

_His words had their desired effect. The woman in front of him smiled. It was faint and didn't quite crinkle her eyes. But it was there. "I hate you." She groaned._

_"Me?" Alexander pretended to be affronted._

_"Yes, you." She pushed his chest before letting herself lean into him fully. "Stop making me laugh when I'm feeling bummed."_

_"Stop being bummed when I'm trying to make you laugh." He shot back._

_Another laugh. "How do you manage that?" Despite her smile, he question seemed thoughtful._

_Thoughtful enough to make Alexander's brows furrow. "What?"_

_"How do you manage to always know exactly what I need? To always be exactly what I need?"_

_"Well," Alexander used his free hand to lift her chin up. "When you love someone as much as I love you, it's instinctive." He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "For instance, I know exactly what you need right now."_

_"Oh yeah?" Angelica challenged. "And what would that be?"_

_"A kiss from the man of your dreams. And you're going to get it."_

_"How the hell are you going to get Barack Obama to come to France?"_

_"Oh!" He winced, bowing his head to press their lips together. "You wound me."_

_"I'm kidding." She spoke into the kiss. "You're the only man I'll ever want, Alexander."_

_"Say it again." He opened his mouth._

_"The only one."_

 

 

The phone Alex was holding was suddenly a hand grenade. Every second that passed with it pressed against the side of his face was a second closer to the inevitable explosion. The pin was pulled. The bomb was detonated. The ticking on the countdown clock was matching his breathing.  Alexander was shit at bomb metaphors. 

Elizabeth, his girlfriend, his love, the woman who he was going to end up hurting be it intentional or not, was on the other line in a deadly silence. She said what she needed to say. The question hung in the air over the device.  _Why are you answering Angelica's phone when you just told me you were at breakfast meeting with an important friend?_ Even someone as mastered in the art of words as Alexander Hamilton was, had no idea how to talk himself out of this one. The longer he took to respond, she worst the situation would become. The longer the woman on the other line had the time to stew in her own assumptions. If only she knew the truth was worse than anything her mind could come up with. 

Alexander looked at Angelica. Her face made it clear that she wasn't going to be of any help. She looked lost. Eyes widened like a dear in the headlights. It was obvious that her fight or flight was kicking in and the former was looking like the better option. 

"I can explain." He supplied from a simple lack of anything better to say.

Eliza's breathing hitched. "Don't say those words." She begged. "Anything but that."

"Why not?" He asked. Half stalling. Half curious. 

"It's an admission of guilt on it's own. If you feel like you need to explain yourself, then you feel like you've done something wrong. I-I can only guess what you could have done. And the guess isn't a good one." She sounded utterly defeated. "You're sneaking off early in the morning. You're lying about where you are. You're  _answering my sister's phone?_ " 

"It's not like that. I swear it's not the way you're making it seem. I-It's not the way it appears."

"I need to speak to my sister."

"Baby-"

"Give Angelica her phone." Alexander flinched at the ice in her tone.

Moving the phone from his ear, he held it out towards its rightful owner. Waving it slightly. An unspoken way of telling her that she was wanted on the line. Angelica's eyes widened more. She shook her head hard enough to twist it from her shoulders. Alexander understood. He wished he didn't have to have the conversation either. He could have insisted on her taking it again. He could have even put it on speaker and told Eliza she was listening. He wasn't going to do either of those things. The need to protect the mother of his child outweighed the urge to get himself out of the situation. The phone was returned to his ear.

"Angelica... can't talk right now."

"What do you mean she can't talk?"

"I mean she's-"

"I'm coming over there."

"No!" He winced at how guilty the one word made him appear. But he had to stop her.

There was no way there could be a positive outcome to that happening. She'd come over with allegations hot on her tongue and anger practically leaking off of her skin. If she burst in closed off and on the offence, Angelica would close off and go on defense. He didn't want to see that between the two women he lo- he didn't want to see sisters behaving like that.

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean." Alex sighed. " _I'm asking you_ not to come over right now. There's just... so much to explain. And we all need to be level headed when we have this conversation. We need the situation to cool off and then maybe meet somewhere in public."

"How can I Let the situation cool off?" He didn't have to be in the room with her to know she was speaking through her teeth. "If I don't even know what the situation is? You're insisting that it isn't what I think it is. And I want to believe you. I-I  _need_ to believe you."  _In order not to get my heart broken._ She didn't say it. She didn't have to. The desperation was in the words she uttered. Hidden beneath the initial anger.

"You can believe me, Betsey. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. This whole thing is bigger than that." He felt bad for using his smooth words against a woman he knew was obviously feeling vulnerable in the moment. "Meet us at the restaurant where we had lunch in an hour. We'll discuss everything there. We'll fix this."

"Meet  _us_? As in you're staying with my sister for the hour?"

"Eliza, do you trust me?"

"No. Not right now."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Yes. Very recently."

"Please, Betsey." He lowered his voice. "I wouldn't hurt you like that." Only in a bunch of other ways apparently.

"Fine." She muttered. "But make it thirty minutes. I can't wait for an hour. It'll drive me crazy."

"Thirty minutes then."

"Please don't hurt me."

His heart hiccuped.

The phone went dead in his ear. He sat it on the counter where he should have left it to begin with. 

This was it. This was the moment they'd been talking about before. It was the universe's way of telling them to speed up the fucking process. No more hiding. No more secrets. 

Maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as he was expecting. So he'd met his girlfriend's sister over three years ago in another country. So they fucked more times than any normal human could take the time to count to. So they'd started a relationship that blazed through both of their lives like a wildfire. So they ended up conceiving a child together during that short time period. So the child was his girlfriend's nephew. It wasn't that bad. It's not like he was cheating on her or anything. He hadn't even technically lied to her until that morning. He was sneaking over to her sister's house to see his son. There was nothing going on between the two of them that she needed to worry about.

Things weren't so bad.

Angelica groaned as if she'd sensed his train of thought. She probably did. She was good at that.

She turned to lift their son off the counter. Her hands didn't look steady. Her steps wavered. Alexander reached over to take the child who went more than willingly into his hold. Angelica tossed him a grateful look. She took her shaky step out of the kitchen area. Her son and his father following her into the living room where she dropped unceremoniously onto the sofa. She balanced her arms on her knees. Hiding her face behind her fingers. Sliding them in a vertical line in a pathetic attempt to calm her nerves. Alexander froze in place.

"Philip." He whispered into his son's ear. "Do you want to go have toy time in your room, buddy?"

His eyes, so much like Alexander's own, lit up. "Do you want to play?"

He shook his head. "Daddy wants to talk to mommy."

The small boy in his arms nodded. "You want to make mommy feel better?"

"Yeah, buddy."

He grabbed his father's head in his chubby hands to the best of his ability. Bringing his lips so close to the side of his face that his lips were touching the opening of his ear. "Give mommy kisses." His attempt at a whisper made Alexander swell with pride for some idiotic reason. "Mommy's sad goes away when I give her kisses."

"Thank you for that advice." He kissed the tip of his nose before placing him on his feet.

"You're welcome, daddy." Philip threw his father a sideways thumbs up before chasing off into his room.

Alexander was left alone with Angelica. Watching his ex girlfriend have some type of silent breakdown into the hiding place of her palms. Her shoulders were moving but only because of the damn near violent way her hands were shaking. She wasn't crying. At least not in a way that Alexander could hear. He took a small step towards her. Not wanting to move too fast and overstep his boundaries. He made sure his steps were loud enough to be heard in case she wanted to tell him to stop. She didn't. She didn't even show her face. 

He took the final step and realized he'd over estimated the distance. His shin knocked against the hard bottom of the couch. The sudden hit to the sensitive part of his leg cause him to hiss under his breath. He muttered a couple of colorful swear words while he rubbed against it. Angelica spread her fingers wider to expose one of her eyes. He couldn't see much of her face. But the sudden rise of her cheekbones gave him reason to believe she might be smiling. 

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." And he was. He let himself flop onto the couch beside her. Moaning in faux discomfort and stroking his leg again.

"Are you sure?" 

"I might need surgery."

"Shut up." She was definitely smiling. 

"I swear to god I'm suing you."

"You're fine." She dropped her hands. Her eyes were moist but she wasn't crying. Not yet. Alexander would like to believe that he stopped the tears before they could be shed.

"I am fine." He admitted. Decided he ran the joke for long enough. Without thinking about what he was doing, he held Angelica's chin to turn her face towards him. So he could look at her expression full on. Choose his next course of action depending on what he saw in her eyes. "You're fine." He added when their eyes locked. "Everything is going to be fine." Alexander did not deliberately start the vigorous eye lock between them. The attraction was beyond his control. He was drawn to her as he'd always been. Angelica was a magnet. Alexander was no more than a scrap of steel.

"You can't know that." She whispered. Because there was no need to speak above one when they were so close. "Everything is going to shit, Alexander."

"It's a good thing that I'm one hell of a toilet." 

She scoffed out a laugh. It was no more than a breath but Alexander relished in it anyway. "You're impossible."

"I just wanted to make you feel better." His grin was sheepish.

"You did." Angelica's finger wrapped around the wrist of his hand that was still touching her face. "Somehow you always know what idiotic thing to say."

"You're just easy."

She rolled her eyes. "You're an asshole." 

Alexander grimaced. "Ouch."

A cliche sense of deja vu slammed him. His body came to the conclusion that he should move. His heart made the choice for that move to be forward instead of retreating. Place the blame on the way the his ex lover's eyes were still holding his. The way his was holding hers. He left enough space for Angelica to reciprocate on her own. Her smooth fingers closed tighter around his skin. For a second, the world ceased to exist around them.

Alexander's tongue swept out to wet his lips.

Angelica blinked. The swift open and shut of her eyes proved to be enough time for her pupils to dilate. 

Their breathing synchronized. 

Something fell in another room of the house. Philip dropping a toy maybe.

The moment broke. 

Angelica's hand snatched his away at the same time he leaned as far away from her as possible. 

"Can Thomas come?" Her words were rushed. A frantic attempt to change the subject. To pretend nothing happened. Nothing was happening.

"Thomas?" Alexander frowned. Not only because he didn't understand the sudden question, but because hearing another man's name leave Angelica's lips after the moment they just shared was.. weird.

"I heard you tell Eliza to meet us at the restaurant. I'd feel better if Thomas was there."

It wasn't jealousy. It was annoyance. Her-her... _Thomas_ didn't have anything to with their problem. He didn't need to be there. 

"Sure."

"Good." She stood. "I'll go call him and tell him the plans." She took a backwards step to the kitchen without circling around. "I'll also call Peggy over to come babysit Philip while we talk. She's always up early."

Alexander rose to his feet before she could make her escape. "Angelica." She took a second step away at the sound of her name. "Can we talk about what just-"

"No." The word was forceful. Any word coming from Angelica was. "I need to call Peggy." She said more softly. "We only have thirty minutes." 

**Author's Note:**

> That look FOREVER to update and I am so sorry! Class sucks and that's all I will say as an excuse. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.  
> Kudos are cool. But your feedback is so much cooler! Tell me what you're thinking!  
> Thanks for reading!


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